Wednesday Night
by Fenikkusu Ai
Summary: Seto protects his brother from the man he hates most of all. Child abuse warning.


Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters.

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The disheveled seven-year old burst into the room without a word of warning. Frantically, his green-gray eyes darted around the room until they rested on the bedroom's single occupant.

Seto put his pen down. His homework was diminishing in importance. "Mokuba? What is it?"

"He's going to kill me," Mokuba divulged in a rush. "He's angry, Seto. He's…"

A door banged open in the hall. "Mokuba?" a booming voice hollered. "Where the hell are you hiding, you little brat? You think breaking my valuables amusing?"

"Mokuba, what did you do?" Seto whispered hurriedly.

"I broke the porcelain egg that I love so much—loved so much," he hastily corrected himself in a rush. "I didn't mean it. It was an accident--

"Mokuba! Show yourself!" Gozaburo's pounding footfalls were growing ever closer.

At first, ten-year old Seto knew not what to do. The situation was hurtling ahead in motion, and the answer couldn't be found in a textbook or through any calculating means. And, a decision needed to be reached _now_. However, the fact that Mokuba was already bruised from Gozaburo's fist last week for accidentally stepping on the cat's tail didn't escape his notice. Seto couldn't allow it to happen again. To hell with Gozaburo's temper.

"Mokuba!" Their shared adoptive father bellowed.

"The bed," Seto blurted out. "He'll check the closet. Hide under the bed."

Mokuba instantly complied just as the door nearly blew off its hinges. Gozaburo himself stomped into the bedroom.

"Seto, do you know where your ill-gotten brother is?" Gozaburo lashed out.

Seto edged a bit closer to the bed. "No, sir."

"You're lying. Sometimes, I forget the two of you are related, but, most of the time, I don't." Threateningly, Gozaburo advanced on him.

Seto ground his teeth together. He knew that Gozaburo merely "put up" with Mokuba. Seto was the sibling of value, not his brother. Thankfully, Gozaburo wouldn't be poisoning his mind tonight. He had more resolve than that.

"I think…that you know exactly where is, Seto." Another step forward.

Speechlessly, Seto backed away from the towering form of his so-called legal guardian. And legal abuser. In spite of his all-consuming anger, Gozaburo nodded in recognition.

"You silence is enough. Where is he, boy?"

Seto switched tactics. "What did Mokuba do, sir?"

"Don't evade the question!" Gozaburo thundered as his meaty hand slapped his cheek. Seto lost his footing and fell to the carpet in a heap. Immediately afterwards, a slight rustling sounded under the bed. Seto hoped that Mokuba wouldn't do anything stupid. Fortunately, Gozaburo appeared to have not heard it.

"Where is he, boy?" he repeated, necks and cheeks scarlet from rage. "Is he in here?"

Purposefully, Gozaburo strode to the closet door of all things and swung it open with a crash. Mokuba, of course, was not inside. Seto smirked at this. He had known precisely what his adopted "father" would do. However, the only drawback was that this made Gozaburo even angrier.

"Where? Where are you hiding him? Answer me, damn it!"

With this profanity, Seto's smirk disappeared as he was pulled up by his collar and struck across the face. Once. Twice…

"He's not here! Mokuba…_is_…_not_…here!" Seto was just about gasping for air.

Roughly, Gozaburo threw him to the ground. A trail of blood was now working its way into Seto's mouth. He would never forget that coppery taste. Gozaburo then contented himself with demolishing the interior of Seto's room--pounding the walls, knocking books off Seto's clean and neat desk, and damning both brothers to hell in a loud voice. Finally, the lunatic departed--the scent of brandy exuding from the old man's pores in his wake.

"Is he gone?" Mokuba's voice was quivering from terror.

"Yes, Mokuba. He's gone." Seto's hand reached up to cup his nose.

"Brother! You're hurt."

Seto just looked at him.

"He hit you," Mokuba whispered in muted horror. "He hit you."

"He would've hit you," Seto logically pointed out.

Mokuba was sidling up to him. "Does it hurt a lot, nii-san?"

"Yes. Very much."

"Then, why aren't you crying?"

Seto shrugged. "I suppose I forgot to. I suppose I forgot how altogether."

Vaguely understanding the hidden dangers of Seto's conduct, Mokuba's arms slid around him. "I wish Mommy and Daddy were still alive."

Seto put his own arms around his only little brother. "I know, Mokuba. I know."

Just out of sight, Mokuba did not witness the single tear that shot past Seto's eye.

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Author's Note: Not a happy one-shot. I wrote the over-used "child Seto abuse" fic, but I think it turned out well. 


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